Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Sweets

I love honey and have since I was a child in Germany. And another treat that I love is chocolate. Maybe it goes back to my childhood as well when an aunt of mine worked in a chocolate factory. She was my favorite aunt of course because she could bring home left over pieces so whenever I visited her I would be given a bag of broken chocolate.

I lived in Germany for a couple years during fifth and sixth grade. The candy left a great impression on me. Every morning I would stop in at the deli by the school bus stop and buy some sweet candy strips similar to sour powers but flat. They were so fresh from the candy factory near my home. I believe it was ten strips for a dollar and I remember that in class sometimes the air would fill with their scent when a student would sneak a strip.

Can you imagine working in a chocolate factory?! Wow! I worked in a candle factory for a few weeks and every day I left smelling like wax and intense perfume. Smelling like chocolate would be much more pleasant.

My brother-in-law sent us some German candy for Christmas. I am not sure what they are called but they were balls of chocolate that he somehow got little toys/personal treats inside. Any idea what they are called?

I pastry you might enjoy is one from Panera Bread that is chocolate drizzled in honey. It's ever so rich but oh so tasty. I used to work at a Panera Bread during college and my dorm mates loved when I came home with leftovers, especially ones like this chocolate treat. :)

About Me

The Very Hungry Caterpillar is one of the more than 70 picture books that I have written and/or illustrated. I was born in the U.S. and was raised in Germany. My background is in graphic design but since the late 1960's when I illustrated Bill Martin Jr's Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? I have been creating books for children. My illustrations are collages made with my own hand-painted tissue papers, a technique many children have replicated and enjoyed in their classrooms and at home. With my wife Barbara, I am also the cofounder of The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA.